HC Deb 04 July 1966 vol 731 cc14-5
31. Mr. John Wells

asked the Minister of Health what procedure is followed to remove a patient's name from his general practitioner's list when the patient leaves the United Kingdom permanently.

Mr. K. Robinson

Information about emigrants is collected from various sources including those emigrating. On the basis of this information doctors are notified by executive councils of the removal of the names.

Mr. Wells

May I take it from that reply that there is no set procedure, that it is purely haphazard and that the names of a large number of people who left years ago are still on doctors' lists at considerable cost to the Exchequer?

Mr. Robinson

I do not think that it is a large number. Under the old pool system there was no cost to the Exchequer. The hon. Gentleman might be interested to know that, in 1965, the names of 202,000 persons leaving the country were removed from doctors' lists. I am seeing whether we can do even more to ensure that information gets to the executive councils.

41. Mr. Marten

asked the Minister of Health how frequently doctors' registers of patients are checked to ensure that they do not contain the names of patients who have removed and to ensure accuracy of payment; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. K. Robinson

The principal method for maintaining accuracy of doctors' lists is the system for notification of changes used by executive councils in conjunction with the National Health Service Central Register, which is designed to avoid duplicate entries as far as possible.

Mr. Marten

Does the right hon. Gentleman realise that there are many duplicate entries? Can he give an estimate of how many people are on the registers of more than one doctor and what that is costing the country?

Mr. Robinson

There has always been what is called a degree of inflation of lists. At the moment the total of lists is 101.36 per cent. of the population. Under the pool system, this did not cost the taxpayer or the Exchequer one penny. Because of the new system which has been introduced with the new general practitioners' contract, it is all the more necessary that we reduce this inflation as much as possible. But the fact was known to the Review Body when it advised on remuneration.